Pro-Palestinian Thugs Vandalize UK Tesco Store, Assault Police

UK public reacts to incident by calling demonstrators 'idiots' - but only one man is arrested.

By Tova Dvorin

First Publish: 8/17/2014, 10:41 AM

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators shout anti-Israeli slogans

Reuters

Pro-Palestinian thugs vandalized a Tesco store and attacked police officers in Birmingham, UK on Saturday, during a demonstration calling for a boycott of Israeli produce.

Between twenty and thirty police officer reportedly were called to restrain the mob, according to several British news sources, after the thugs began throwing Tesco products around in what quickly degenerated into a riot.

Nearby roads were cordoned off by police to deal with the incident, as nearly 100 demonstrators descended into violence, according to the Telegraph. The demonstrators were allegedly demanding that Tesco - which has already agreed to stop carrying products from Judea and Samaria - boycott all Israeli products.

But according to West Midland Police, only one person was arrested over the vandalism.

"Our officers dealt with a protest at Tesco Hodge Hill this morning where some disorder was reported," police said. "One was arrested for assaulting police."

"The protest was largely peaceful among the 100 protesters but some began throwing stock inside Tesco store," it continued. "Two were escorted from the premises."

Witnesses and shocked Britons alike headed to social media to condemn the incident, with several tweeting that the demonstrators were "idiots."

"I was just in the Tesco in Hodge Hill, scanning my items and I heard chanting," one shopper recounted. "Then a group of Asian men holding Palestinian flags came walking in and starting to push products over and getting aggressive with staff and shoppers. Police officers tried to stop them but I ran out."

A Tesco spokesman told the Daily Mail that the store was closed for just a few minutes, and that "minimal damage" was done to the goods.

The same may not be said, however, for the pro-Palestinian community in Britain, which has grown more and more violent over the past few weeks and is starting to spark the notice of the British public.

Last month, hundreds of demonstrators rioted outside the Kedem store in Manchester, in a series of clashes which culminated in dozens of death threats being hurled at the store's owners.

Several local Manchester politicians have condemned the violence, as both "unacceptable to target law-abiding Brits" and "not advancing the Palestinian cause one iota."

The waves of anti-Semitism in Britain have surfaced among a recent report noting that hate crimes against Jews have risen 383% worldwide since 2013, including a 436% hate crime hike in Europe.